Tag: Mikhail Lim

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REVIEW: York Light Opera Company in The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee, Theatre@41, Monkgate, York, until July 4 ***

Rosa Burns’ Marcy Park in a defiant outburst in The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee

IN a spelling bee competition, contestants are asked to spell words aloud, letter by letter, with no backtracking, one by one, in order, on a loop. 

Participants are eliminated if they misspell a word, indicated by the death-knell ding of a bell, and the contest will continue until only one winner is still standing uncorrected.

The word “bee”, by the way, has nothing to do with the honey-making insect. Instead, in American English, the “bee” once referred to a community gathering where neighbours worked together on a specific task.

The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee has been causing a buzz as a Tony and Drama Desk Awards Best Book-winning musical since 2004, a buzz that has spread belatedly to York 22 years later for York Light’s summer production at Theatre@41, Monkgate.

Sweltering in the June heat wave, the John Cooper Studio’s black box theatre has been converted into a school gymnasium with a basketball on the back wall to emphasise the American setting.

James Dickinson’s Chip Tolentino in one of his “over-excited” moments at the microphone in York Light Opera Company’s The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee

Provided by theatre staff, hand-held fans were being wafted feverishly in the clammy night air by grateful audience members, but Neil Wood’s cast had no such wind assistance on Wednesday, Hannah Shaw’s Olive Ostrovsky gamely wearing a pink jumper throughout. The show must go on, as they say.

Six awkward “mid-pubescent” spelling champions gather for the chance to make the national final, joined at each show by four audience members who volunteer to join the linguistic gymnastics (mirroring the stars of stage and screen being the guest spellers in the latest off-Broadway revival of Rebecca Feldman, William Finn and Rachel Sheinkin’s musical in New York).

Taking part are the geeky one with a health condition (Stephen Wright’s William Barfee); the alpha-male one (James Dickinson’s Chip Tolentino); the zany, off-the-rails one (Daniel Wood’s Leaf Coneybear); the proto-politician one with two pushy dads (Lotty Farmer’s lisping, asthmatic Logainne SchwartzandGrubenniere); the already career-driven future businesswoman one (Rosa Burns’ Marcy Park) and the neglected one, with the adoring but always too busy parents (Shaw’s Olive Ostrovsky).

One by one, we learn their back stories, the home life that shapes them, as we observe the characteristics that will mark them in adulthood and root for their spelling prowess.

To avoid the question-and-answer format of the competition becoming repetitive, the show’s writers find ways to keep it on the move, to build an ever faster pace, both in dialogue and in song, helped hugely by the input of the question master, Neil Foster’s increasingly irascible vice-principal, Douglas Panch, whose past troubles re-surface in his erratic behaviour, expressed in his waspish tongue.

If he is the “bad cop”, the “good cop” is the kind-hearted, beatific contest hostess, Katie Brier’s one-time champion, Rona Lisa Piretti. On hand with a consoling pat on the back and a box of fruit juice for each losing contestant is Mikhail Lim’s scene-stealing “comfort counsellor”, whose manner can be as discomfiting as comforting, closer to intimidating on occasion as he sings of the contest descending into pandemonium.

Lim, Foster and Wright in particular capture the offhand, offbeat humour of Sheinkin’s book, matched by the wit of Finn’s lyrics – typified by the rhyme of ‘protuberance’ with ‘exuberance’ – while the adult cast transforms into sometimes troubled tweens with elan under Wood’s smart direction.

What Spelling Bee lacks is knockout tunes to go with the knockabout laughs and astute social observation, although pianist Martin Lay’s four-piece band plays spiritedly throughout with Katie Maloney on reeds, Rosie Morris on synths and Jez Smith on percussion.

To bee or not to bee? It is always good to check out a “quirky little” musical new to York, and the combination of a snappy script and humorous, heartfelt performances works well, even if the show falls short of being spell-binding.  

York Light Opera Company in The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee, Theatre@41, Monkgate, York, June 25 to 27, then June 30 to July 4, 7.30pm, plus 2.30pm Saturday matinees and 2pm Sunday matinee (28/6/2026). Box office: tickets.41monkgate.co.uk.

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Feel the tension as York Light enters The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee

Daniel Wood, left, Stephen Wright, Lotty Farmer, Rosa Burns, Hannah Shaw and James Dickinson in in York Light Opera Company’s production of The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee

SIX awkward spelling champions learn that winning – and losing – is not everything in York Light Opera Company’s summer production, The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee.

Conceived by Rebecca Feldman, with music and lyrics by William Finn and book by Rachel Sheinkin, the 2004 American musical will be staged at Theatre@41, Monkgate, York, from June 24 to July 4 under the direction of Neil Wood and musical direction of Martin Lay, at the helm of a four-piece band.

Be prepared for a riotous ride as an eclectic group of six “mid-pubescents” battle for the spelling championship of a lifetime in a fast-paced, wildly humorous show replete with audience participation.

While candidly disclosing touching stories from their home life, the tweens spell their way through a series of – potentially made-up – words, each hoping to never hear the soul-crushing, pout-inducing ding of the bell that signals a spelling mistake.

Rosa Byrne’s Marcy Park rehearsing for York Light’s The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee

Taking part will be Lotty Farmer’s Logainne SchwartzandGrubenierre; Hannah Shaw’s Olive Ostrovsky; Rosa Burns’ Marcy Park; Daniel Wood’s Leaf Coneybear; James Dickinson’s Chip Tolentino and Stephen Wright’s William Barfeé.

“The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee promises unforgettable entertainment with a heart-warming message highlighting themes of friendship, identity and perseverance, all while celebrating the awkwardness and excitement of growing up,” says Neil, as York Light looks to build on the success of Eurobeat and Annie, Martyn Knight’s final production in the director’s chair.

“I love this quirkly little show that was first done as a workshop show in 2004 and then played off-Broadway and made its Broadway debut in 2005. Spelling Bee is one of those shows that invites the audience into the world of the spellers to cheer, to laugh, to cry and just have a wonderful evening. It’s back in New York, playing off-Broadway, winning every award insight, playing in a complex with six productions going on in one building.

“It has top-quality writing and is just as relevant today from when it was first performed and we’ve upated with a reference to President Trump! With a show that has such a cult following, once you see it, you will want to come back over and over again!”

Vice-principal Douglas Panch (Neil Foster), left, watching the contestants, James Dickinson’s Chip Tolentino, front, left, Daniel Wood’s Leaf Coneybear, Lotty Farmer’s Logainne SchwartzandGrubenierre and Stephen Wright’s William Barfeé, in The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee

Part of the fun will be audience members’ opportunity to be guest spellers in each performance. “I’ll be chatting beforehand, saying, ‘do you fancy trying out your spelling’? It’s not compulsory, but I’m confident we will find people to do it,” says Neil.

The show has echoes of Dennis Potter’s Blue Remembered Hills and Willy Russell’s Blood Brothers in having adult actors play children. “The six main spellers in the competition are 12/13-year-old adolescents, and most people will be able to recognise themselves in at least one of them,” says Neil.

“There’s a geek;  a zany, off-the-rails one; an alpha-male; a future businesswoman, already looking career driven; a young politician, being brought up by two dads, and a girl whose parents adore her but they’re always busy pursuing their own lives. I think the audience will end up rooting for the one they identify with the most.

“There’s a proper plot in this character-centred show, whereas there wasn’t in Eurobeat, which was more like ‘an experience’. The three adults running the event are important too: the one-time champion (Katie Brier’s Rona Lisa Piretti), the vice-principal (Neil Foster’s Douglas Panch) and the comfort counsellor (Mikhail Lim’s Mitch Mahoney), who is there to look after the children, should they not success in the spelling bee. They all have a back story, and the stories intertwine with little bits of flashback.”

Mikhail Lim’s comfort counsellor Mitch Mahoney in rehearsal

The fact that the children are played by adults, “you just get transfixed by them,” suggests Neil. “It calls on a totally different skill set for the actors , and one of the things that we’ve really worked on is the consistency of the characters as they’re on stage all the time, so they have to hold those characters traits at all times.”

Should you be wondering, Neil’s research reveals there are no fewer than nine Putnam Counties in the United States. “But then there are 20 different Springfields there by the way, including the one in Missouri in The Sopranos and the town in The Simpsons!” he says.

“We’ve given it over to the company members to find their accents for our show, which is set at a regional heat before the national final in Washington,”

The setting will be a school gymnasium, where the young spellers must exercise their minds. “We’ll have a basketball hoop on the set to give a sense of a gym,” says Neil.

Looking forward to tomorrow’s opening, he enthuses: “What I love about the show is how the audience can forget about the outside world for two hours, when they’ll smile, they’ll be moved by the story, they’ll have fun – and you’ve got to have fun at the theatre!

“We giggle at rehearsals from start to finish, and you have to do that with this piece because, if we’re not having fun, nor will the audience, but I guarantee they will come out with grins on their faces.”

York Light Opera Company in The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee, Theatre@41, Monkgate, York, June 24 to 27 & June 30 to July 4, 7.30pm, plus 2.30pm Saturday matinees and 2pm Sunday matinee (28/6/2026). Box office: tickets.41monkgate.co.uk.

Katie Brier’s Rona Lisa Piretti, left, and Hannah Shaw’s Olive Ostrovsky in a scene from York Light’s The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee

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REVIEW: Inspired By Theatre in Spring Awakening, 20th Anniversary, Theatre@41, Monkgate, York, until Saturday ****

Leading light: Dan Crawfurd-Porter’s Melchior in Inspired By Theatre’s Spring Awakening. Picture: Mia Scudds

MIKHAIL Lim played Georg in York Stage Musicals’ northern premiere of Spring Awakening at the Vaudeville Theatre, Joseph Rowntree  School, York, in November 2010.

Roll forward  to May 19 2026 when his startling production of Duncan Sheik and Steven Sater’s rock musical was launched with a 20th Anniversary Preview Event, 20 years to the day since the off-Broadway premiere opened at the Atlantic Theater Company in New York City.

Entry came with a tote bag emblazoned with a lyric from the show. Inside were a notepad and pen (tools for the reviewers, received gratefully) and a Welcome note from Inspired By Theatre, the York company fast establishing a reputation for injecting thrilling new life into landmark musicals.

Spring Awakening director Mikhail Lim, right, in rehearsal with actor-musician JJ Thornton, who plays Hanschen. Picture: Tiggy-Jade

“What you are about to witness is a production that aims to honour the heart and spirit of Spring Awakening whilst bringing fresh and contemporary ideas to the piece through thrust staging, actor-musicianship, expressive movement and an intimate, visceral approach to storytelling,” the statement read, emphasising the desire to highlight the kinetic musical’s continued relevance two decades later.

Your reviewer would argue that Sheik and Sater’s raucous musical take on Frank Wedekind’s late-19th century play has taken on even more resonance in those 20 years. The original play’s controversial themes of rape, abortion, teenage suicide, gay first love and adolescent sexual discovery led to Spring Awakening being judged too scandalous to perform in Wedekind’s lifetime, with no public performances until November 1906.

Rianna Pearce’s Wendla, centre, with Maz Nachif’s Martha, left, and Skye Pickford’s Ilse in Spring Awakening. Picture: Mia Scudds

Wedekind was damning the lack of birds & bees tuition and protection provided both by hand-washing and wringing parents and teachers when faced by their young charges’ burgeoning sexual feelings and search for identity. Now, the world has gone the other way, in the era where social media and the dark web provides a tsunami of information, but teenagers can still feel overwhelmed.

Spring Awakening – such an apt title – is a devastating, dark musical of youthful yearning rubbing up against austere learning in the strict schooldays of 1891 Germany. Part play, part punk concert, it comes suited and booted with strong language (the best song is called Totally ****ed) and scenes of a sexual nature (staged with the involvement of intimacy co-ordinator Lina Glissman, by the way).

In a tale of sex & drudge & shock’n’roll, company founder Dan Crawfurd-Porter swaps directorial duties for the Hamlet-echoing role of piercingly bright, free-thinking, atheist, rebellious student Melchior, sharing centre stage with Rianna Louise’s awakening young flower Wendla and Eryn Grant’s tormented, workaholic, tragic Moritz.

Blow by blow account: JJ Thornton’s Hanschen and guitar-playing actor-musician Oskar Nuttall’s Ernst in Spring Awakening. Picture: Mia Scudds

Spring Awakening is above all a wake-up call to the damage that ignorance imposes on young people in a sexually repressive era, here represented by the multiple stultifying roles of the Adult Woman (Gemma McDonald) and Adult Men (Stefan Michaels). Righteous, religious, blinkered, they rule by book and sometimes by belt.

The combination of  Gi Vasey’s thrust set design, placing the audience close up, and musical director Jessica Viner’s band of keys, drum and string players, bolstered by guitar and piano/bass/Cajon-playing actor-musicians, gives even more intensity to the already heightened drama.

Vasey places a bare tree stump at the back, draped in ribbons, complemented by bare branches to either side. In the centre is a sand pit, framed in stones, that serves as school playground and field and transfers to a school room with the aid of chairs. The sand is of the shifting variety, in keeping with sense of seismic change, of matters going beyond balance and control.

Eryn Grant’s Moritz, centre, with JJ Thornton’s Hanschen, left, Oskar Nuttall’s Ernst, Lewis Jordan’s Georg and Kailum Farmery’s Otto. Picture: Mia Scudds

Freya McIntosh’s choreography matches the anger and frustration of the modern yet instantly timeless songs, breaking out of the formal lines and restrictive behaviour of the classroom for free, explosive expression, often with a microphone in the hand (a style of presentation later seen in Six The Musical).

Julie Fisher’s costume designs, with green school uniforms for the boys and a more diverse palette for the girls’ dresses, work well with Daniel Grey’s lighting design, and Will Nicholson’s sound design blends band and actor-musicians with clarity.

Eryn Grant is particularly impressive as the crushed Moritz, while Crawfurd-Porter’s Melchior has an edge to him, contrasting with the innocence of curiosity of Rianna Louise’s Wendla.

Explosion of punk energy in the classroom, observed by Stefan Michaels’ Adult Man and Gemma McDonald’s Adult Woman in Spring Awakening. Picture: Mia Scudds

Skye Pickford’s Ilse, with her stillness of presence,  JJ Thornton’s Hanschen and Maz Nachif’s Martha catch the eye too,  performing in tandem with Oskar Nuttall’s Ernst, Lewis Jordan’s Georg, Kailum Farmey’s Otto, Ines Campos’s Thea and Greta Piasecka in a schoolroom cast that has uniformity but bags of individuality too.

Drawing so strikingly on German Expressionism and folkloric imagery, Mikhail Lim has delivered a shattering, alarming, agitated, impassioned Spring Awakening, reaffirming Inspired By Theatre as a major player, a welcome upstart, on York’s theatre scene.

Inspired By Theatre presents Spring Awakening, Theatre@41, Monkgate, York, tonight and tomorrow, 7.30pm; Saturday, 2.30pm and 7.30pm. Box office: tickets.41monkgate.co.uk.

Inspired By Theatre marking the 20th anniversary of Spring Awakening’s off-Broadway debut on May 19 2006. Picture: Mia Scudds

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Inspired By Theatre to stage bravura 20th anniversary production of adolescent drama Spring Awakening at Theatre@41

Rianna Louise’s Wendla in Inspired By Theatre’s Spring Awakening. Picture: Dan Crawfurd-Porter

INSPIRED By Theatre will mark the 20th anniversary of Spring Awakening’s May 19 off-Broadway debut at the Atlantic Theater Company in New York City with a typically bold actor-musician production at Theatre@41, Monkgate, York, from May 20 to 23.

Continuing the York company’s modus operandi of presenting bravura interpretations of established works, Duncan Sheik and Steven Sater’s Tony Award-winning rock musical will be directed by Mikhail Lim, 15 years after he appeared in York Stage Musicals’ northern premiere at the Vaudeville Theatre, Joseph Rowntree School, York.

Following artistic director Dan Crawfurd-Porter’s ambitious staging of Jesus Christ Superstar in February, Lim picks up the reins for one of the most powerful and emotionally raw musicals of the modern era.

Spring Awakening director Mikhail Lim, right, working on the guitar in rehearsal with cast member JJ Thornton (who will play Hanschen). Picture: Tiggy-Jade

“Spring Awakening came out when I was almost exactly the age of the characters,” says Mikhail. “It completely opened my eyes to different forms of musical storytelling and the kind of contemporary theatre I fell in love with.

“Being part of the northern premiere in York 15 years ago [in November 2010] was incredibly special. Now, on the 20th anniversary of the original off-Broadway production, it feels extraordinary to be returning to this piece as a director. In many ways, it feels like fate.”

Mikhail adds: “This show has been in pre-production since November 2024, after we acquired the rights. We’ve waited until the right time, with the right crew, the right cast, at the perfect  time, and that time has arrived.”

Maz Nachif’s Martha in Spring Awakening. Picture: Dan Crawfurd-Porter

Based on Frank Wedekind’s 1906 play, Spring Awakening follows a group of late-19th century teenagers in a small German village, navigating the confusion, curiosity and turmoil of adolescence in a rigid and repressive society at odds with their awakening sexuality.

As these young people search for answers about sex, identity and self-expression, their world collides with an oppressive culture imposed by teachers and parents determined to silence them.

In a show whose themes including sexual assault, suicide, abortion and physical abuse, Crawfurd-Porter swaps directorial duties for playing Melchior opposite Rianna Louise’s Wendla.

Dan Crawfurd-Porter’s Melchior in Inspired By Theatre’s Spring Awakening. Picture: Dan Crawfurd-Porter

“We’ve known each other for pretty much three years, starting out as cast mates, then Dan directed me and now I’m directing Dan, so we have this symbiotic relationship,” says Mikhail. “It comes from having similar tastes in artistry, and along with choreographer Freya McIntosh, we instinctively understand what kind of theatre we want to do.”

Dan says: “After the demands of directing Jesus Christ Superstar, I looked to Mikhail to fill my shoes for  Spring Awakening, but then the temptation to audition for Melchior was too much.”

Why? “First of all, I love the show, and how unique it is, so, the chance to perform in it is a once-in-a-lifetime experience,” says Dan. “It requires young actors, which I’m not going to be able to play at some point, and it’s a role that resonates with me.

Eryn Grant’s Moritz in Inspired By Theatre’s Spring Awakening. Picture: Dan Crawfurd-Porter

“It’s not unique to me, as most will struggle with that journey from adolescence to adulthood: the whole thing of puberty and sex and the pressure to be successful, making much more of it then you do when you’re older – and this captures all that so well.”

Rianna says: “Spring Awakening is my favourite show, though I’ve never seen it live. I was part of that online generation that really got into it through YouTube as it was such a cult success. I love how it’s so truthful about what it talks about and I love Wendla’s character. It’s a poignant story of sex and relationships but also of women’s reproductive health, which is still an interesting subject.”

Combining Sheik’s music with Sater’s book and lyrics, the show blends alternative rock, folk and punk influences with a deeply human coming-of-age story. Scenes unfold with grounded realism before erupting into powerful musical numbers that reveal the characters’ inner thoughts and emotions.

Skye Pickford’s Ilse in Inspired By Theatre’s Spring Awakening. Picture: Dan Crawfurd-Porter

Mikhail will be using a cast of 13, a size that requires every performer to play a vital role in bringing the story to life, as he explains: “This show demands performers who can truly act through song and move with real emotional honesty. We’ve assembled a phenomenal company of performers who bring enormous passion and skill to the stage.”

Movement and physical storytelling will play a central role in the production. McIntosh’s choreography blends contemporary dance with expressive theatrical movement, creating moments that feel less like traditional choreography and more like living visual art unfolding on stage. The show’s band will form part of the storytelling, with a mixture of professional musicians and actor-musicians creating a dynamic on-stage musical presence.

Mikhail’s production will take place in the John Cooper Studio at Theatre@41, creating an intimate and immersive environment where audiences are placed close to the action. “The black-box setting allows the production to feel particularly visceral,” he says.

Maz Nachif’s Martha, left, Greta Piasecka’s Anna, Rianna Louise’s Wendla, Skye Pickford’s Ilse and Ines Campos’s Thea in a poster for Inspired By Theatre’s Spring Awakening

“Performing in a smaller space is both a challenge and a gift. It allows every moment, every sound and every visual detail to be felt up close. The result is something incredibly immediate and powerful.”

Inspired By Theatre will draw visual inspiration from German Expressionism and folkloric imagery to create a haunting and symbolic world that sits between realism and surrealism as old-fashioned values are refracted through a 21st century lens in an exploration of sex, puberty, coming of age and a yearning for a more progressive future.

Inspired By Theatre presents Spring Awakening, Theatre@41, Monkgate, York, May 20 to 23, 7.30pm and 2.30pm Saturday matinee. Box office: tickets.41monkgate.co.uk.

 Stefan Michaels’ Adult Man and Gemma McDonald’s Adult Woman in an Inspired By Theatre poster for Spring Awakening

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Inspired By Theatre to stage Spring Awakening in bravura 20th anniversary production at Theatre@41, Monkgate

Rianna Louise’s Wendla and Dan Crawfurd-Porter’s Melchior in rehearsal for Inspired By Theatre’s Spring Awakening. Picture: JJ Thornton

INSPIRED By Theatre will mark the 20th anniversary of Spring Awakening with a bold new production at Theatre@41, Monkgate, York, from May 20 to 23.

Continuing the York company’s reputation for presenting bravura interpretations of well-known works, the Tony Award-winning rock musical will be directed by Mikhail Lim.

Following artistic director Dan Crawfurd-Porter’s ambitious staging of Jesus Christ Superstar at the Joseph Rowntree Theatre in February, Lim picks up the reins for one of the most powerful and emotionally raw musicals of the modern era.

Based on Frank Wedekind’s 1906 play, Spring Awakening follows a group of late-19th century teenagers in a small German village, navigating the confusion, curiosity and turmoil of adolescence in a rigid and repressive society at odds with their awakening sexuality.

Maz Nachif’s Martha and JJ Thornton’s Hanschen. Picture: Tiggy-Jade

As these young people search for answers about sex, identity and self-expression, their world collides with an oppressive culture imposed by teachers and parents determined to silence them.

Combining music by Duncan Sheik with book and lyrics by Steven Sater, the show blends alternative rock, folk and punk influences with a deeply human coming-of-age story. Scenes unfold with grounded realism before erupting into powerful musical numbers that reveal the characters’ inner thoughts and emotions.

Opening on Broadway in 2006, starring Jonathan Groff, Lea Michele and John Gallagher Jr., Spring Awakening won eight Tony Awards, including Best Musical.

Next month’s production marks a full-circle moment for director Lim, who appeared in the northern premiere of Spring Awakening, staged by York Stage Musicals under Robert Readman’s direction at the Vaudeville Theatre, Joseph Rowntree School, York, in November 2010.

Spring Awakening director Mikhail Lim working on the guitar with cast member JJ Thornton. Picture: Tiggy-Jade

On returning to the show as director, Mikhail says: “Spring Awakening came out when I was almost exactly the age of the characters. It completely opened my eyes to different forms of musical storytelling and the kind of contemporary theatre I fell in love with.

“Being part of the northern premiere in York 15 years ago was incredibly special. Now, approaching the 20th anniversary of the original off-Broadway production, it feels extraordinary to be returning to this piece as a director. In many ways, it feels like fate.”

Lim leads an outstanding creative team assembled specifically for the project. Choreographer and assistant director Freya McIntosh, known for her work on Green Day’s American Idiot, RENT and Jesus Christ Superstar, reunites with Lim after their acclaimed Black Sheep Theatre Productions collaboration on Songs For A New World at the National Centre For Early Music, York, in October 2024.

Musical director Jessica Viner brings a wealth of musical expertise to Spring Awakening, drawing on her professional experience in touring productions, not least her role as musical director for Singin’ In The Rain, when she travelled across China.

Gemma McDonald, best known for her clowning silly-billy in Rowntree Players pantomimes each winter, takes on the role of Adult Woman in Inspired By Theatre’s Spring Awakening. Picture: Felix Wahlberg

Annie Roux steps into the producer’s role after serving as assistant producer on Jesus Christ Superstar. Costume design will be led by Julie Fisher, of The Costume Crew York, joined by fashion designer Gregory Harper, working together to create a visual world that supports the show’s striking aesthetic.

Dan Crawfurd-Porter swaps directorial duties for playing Melchior in Inspired By Theatre’s cast of 13, joined by Rianna Louise as Wendla; Eryn Grant, Moritz; Skye Pickford, Ilse, Maz Nachif, Martha; JJ Thornton, Hanschen; Oskar Nuttall, Ernst; Lewis Jordan, Georg; Kailum Farmery, Otto; Ines Campos, Thea; Greta Piasecka, Anna; Stefan Michaels, Adult Man, and Gemma McDonald, Adult Woman.

 Utilising such a small cast requires every performer to play a vital role in bringing the story to life, as Mikhail explains: “This show demands performers who can truly act through song and move with real emotional honesty. We’ve assembled a phenomenal company of performers who bring enormous passion and skill to the stage.”

Eryn Grant’s Moritz at the microphone, with Sky Pickford’s Ilse in the background. Picture: JJ Thornton

Movement and physical storytelling will play a central role in the production. McIntosh’s choreography blends contemporary dance with expressive theatrical movement, creating moments that feel less like traditional choreography and more like living visual art unfolding on stage.

The show’s band will form part of the storytelling, with a mixture of professional musicians and actor-musicians creating a dynamic on-stage musical presence.

Lim’s production will take place in the John Cooper Studio at Theatre@41, creating an intimate and immersive environment where audiences are placed close to the action. “The black-box setting allows the production to feel particularly visceral,” says Mikhail.

“Performing in a smaller space is both a challenge and a gift. It allows every moment, every sound and every visual detail to be felt up close. The result is something incredibly immediate and powerful.”

Skye Pickford’s Ilse rehearing with Eryn Grant’s Moritz. Picture: JJ Thornton

Inspired By Theatre will draw visual inspiration from German Expressionism and folkloric imagery to create a haunting and symbolic world that sits between realism and surrealism as old-fashioned values are refracted through a 21st century lens in an exploration of sex, puberty, coming of age and a yearning for a more progressive future.

Inspired By Theatre presents Spring Awakening, Theatre@41, Monkgate, York, May 20 to 23, 7.30pm and 2.30pm Saturday matinee. Box office: tickets.41monkgate.co.uk.

Content warning: Spring Awakening features mature themes, including sexual content, sexual assault, suicide, abortion, physical abuse and strong language. Minimum age recommendation: 15 plus.

Inspired By Theatre’s poster artwork for Mikhail Lim’s production of Spring Awakening

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‘RENT is the reason we fell in love with theatre in the first place,’ says Inspired By Theatre director Dan Crawfurd-Porter

Inspired By Theatre principal cast members for RENT: left to right, Maddie Jones, Jess Gardham, Iain Harvey, Dan Poppitt, Gi Vasey, Mikhail Lim, Tom Collins and Fen Greatley-Hirsch. Picture: Dan Crawfurd-Porter

FROM the York theatre company that brought the Hutch Award-winning production of Green Day’s American Idiot to the Joseph Rowntree Theatre last July comes another iconic American rock musical, RENT.

Directed once more by company founder Dan Crawfurd-Porter, Jonathan Larson’s groundbreaking Tony Award winner will run at the JoRo from April 10 to 12 with its celebration of life, even in the face of adversity.

“RENT tells a story of love, resilience and artistic defiance, making it as relevant today as it was when it debuted 30 years ago,” says Dan.

Dan Poppitt’s Roger, left, Gi Vasey’s Mimi and Mikhail Lim’s Benny in Inspired By Theatre’s RENT. Picture: Dan Crawfurd-Porter

Set in the heart of New York City’s East Village at the apex of the AIDS epidemic, RENT follows a group of young artists struggling to survive, create and hold onto hope in the face of uncertainty.

Larson’s revolutionary score, with its blend of rock, pop and musical theatre, features such numbers as Seasons of Love, La Vie Bohème and Take Me Or Leave Me.

“This isn’t just another revival; for us, it’s personal,” says director Dan, who credits the show as a major inspiration for his company’s formation and mission to bring bold, meaningful theatre to York audiences.

Fen Greatley Hirsch’s Angel and Joseph Hayes’s Tom Collins. Picture: Dan Crawfurd-Porter

“RENT is the reason we exist and the reason we fell in love with theatre in the first place. It’s a show that has inspired us to tell stories, push boundaries and build a thriving theatre community.

“This production brings together returning favourites and exciting new members of the company, and I’ve never seen a cast quite like this before. We’ve assembled a powerhouse of performers, ready to bring this iconic show to life like never before.”

Crawfurd-Porter’s principal cast comprises American Idiot leading man Iain Harvey as Mark; Dan Poppitt as Roger; Gi Vasey as Mimi; Joseph Hayes as Tom Collins; Maddie Jones as Maureen; York blues musician Jess Gardham as Joanne; Fen Greatley-Hirsch as Angel and Mikhail Lim as Benny.

Iain Harvey’s Mark in Inspired By Theatre’s RENT. Picture: Dan Crawfurd-Porter

In the ensemble will be: Richard Bayton; Katie Brier; Kailum Farmery; Rebecca Firth; Jack Fry; Chloe Pearson; Lucy Plimmer-Clough; Fernadna Aqueveque Retamal; Connie Richards; Josh Woodgate and Tiggy-Jade.

Crawfurd-Porter is joined in the production team by choreographer and assistant director Freya McIntosh, musical director Matthew Peter Clare and assistant producer Charlie Clarke.

Inspired By Theatre was known formerly as Bright Light Musical Productions. “We rebranded as Inspired By Theatre to reflect our evolving vision: theatre that moves people, challenges perspectives and delivers unforgettable moments both on and off the stage,” says Dan.

Maddie Jones’s Maureen and Jess Gardham’s Joanne. Picture: Dan Crawfurd-Porter

“We saw this philosophy come to life with our highly successful production of Green Day’s American Idiot last summer when more than 1,000 audience members, many covered head to toe in merchandise, packed the Joseph Rowntree Theatre, proving that a show can be more than just a performance, it can be an event.”

Inspired By Theatre in RENT, Joseph Rowntree Theatre, York, April 10 to 12, 7.30pm plus 2.30pm Saturday matinee. Box office: https://www.josephrowntreetheatre.co.uk/whats-on/all-shows/rent/2761.

Inspired By Theatre ensemble members Connie Richards, left, and Tiggy-Jade. Picture: Dan Crawfurd-Porter

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Black Sheep Theatre Productions to shake up Shakespeare’s The Tempest with Brechtian staging and live music in March

Black Sheep Theatre Productions’ poster for The Tempest at Theatre@41, Monkgate

YORK company Black Sheep Theatre Productions are to present The Tempest with live music at Theatre@41, Monkgate, York, from March 26 to 29.

William Shakespeare’s timeless tale of power, love and redemption will be directed by company founder and composer Matthew Peter Clare in an innovative adaptation that blends traditional Shakespearean drama with a dynamic theatrical approach.

Known for bold and impactful storytelling, Black Sheep will seek to bring an exciting new vision to Shakespeare’s melting pot of mistaken identity, magic, intrigue, murderous schemes, comedy and romance.

“The Tempest is famously Shakespeare’s last play, focusing on family and love, subjugation and bloody plots, reconciliation and forgiveness, euphoria and despair,” says Matthew.

“It is a play that has been performed numerous times in as many ways. With Black Sheep Theatre Productions’ version at Theatre@41, we aim to marry a more Brechtian theatre style for some of our more absurd characters with a grounded, naturalistic approach for the more plot-driven characters.”

Director and composer Matthew Peter Clare

Matthew continues: “We have also utilised my musical background, alongside the incredible talent of Gregory Harper, to create a musical score for a live six-piece band, featuring strings, guitar, and harp, that will accompany the show and highlight the characters and their choices throughout.

“This will perfectly complement the singing of the island spirits, as well as our featured leading singers, such as Gemma-Louise Keane as Ariel and Josh Woodgate as Caliban.”

Both are well-known figures in York’s theatre and music scene, with Gemma-Louise being the lead singer of KissKissKill and Josh regularly performing with Inspired By Theatre, starring in Green Day’s American Idiot last year and now rehearsing for Rent.

“The strength of this production lies in the juxtaposition of absurd comedy and serious drama,” Matthew says. “The comedic energy of Charlie Clarke as Trincula, Molly Whitehouse as Stephana, Dan Poppitt as Alonso and Rocks Smith as Francisca is sharply contrasted against the more sinister and thought-provoking portrayal of Mark Simmonds’s Prospero.”

Mikhail Lim: Collaborating with Matthew Peter Clare in the Black Sheep Theatre production team for a second show in succession


The cast comprises: Mark Simmonds as Propsero; Freya McIntosh, Miranda; Gemma-Louise Keane, Ariel; Dan Poppitt, Alonso, Spirit; Megan Conway, Antonia; Chloe Pearson, Ferdinanda; Isaac McAndrews, Gonzalo; Rosie Stirling, Sebastian: Josh Woodgate, Caliban; Charlie Clarke, Trinculo; Molly Whitehouse, Stephano: Mickey Moran, Adrian, Spirit; Ellie Carrier, Francisco, Juno, Spirit; Rocks Smith, Boatswain, Ceres, Spirit, and Justine Hughes, Master of Ship, Iris and Spirit.

Matthew will be joined in the production team by Mikhail Lim, as he was for Black Sheep’s production of Jason Robert Brown’s Songs For A New World at the National Centre for Early Music, York, last October.

“Our adaptation of The Tempest is set to be an unmissable experience, blending Shakespeare’s genius, innovative staging and an evocative live musical score to bring the story to life in a bold, fresh, and deeply engaging way,” concludes Matthew.

Black Sheep Theatre Productions in The Tempest, Theatre@41, Monkgate, York, March 26 to 29, 7.30pm plus 2.30pm Saturday matinee. Box office: tickets.41monkgate.co.uk.


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REVIEW: Black Sheep Theatre Productions in Songs For A New World, National Centre for Early Music, York ****

Lauren Charlton-Mathews: Solo renditions of Stars And The Moon and The Flagmaker, 1775 in Songs For A New World. All pictures: Matthew Kitchen

WHEN Songs For A New World opened at the WPA Theatre in New York, Jason Robert Brown and his director, Daisy Prince, described it as “neither musical play nor revue, but a very theatrical song cycle”.

It becomes even more so in the hands of Black Sheep Theatre Productions’ musical director and producer Matthew Peter Clare and his co-director and co-stage designer, Mikhail Lim, as the York company follows up last week’s collaboration with Wharfemede Productions in another Brown work, The Last Five Years.

The traverse setting for that fractious two-hander makes way for an end-on design that makes full use of the St Margaret’s Church bare side wall, framed with netting and white sheets and a screen for Kelly Ann Bolland’s all-important scenic design.

Adam Price and Natalie Walker

The video footage, full of politicians promising peace, countered by war and destruction, racist hatred and financial meltdowns up to the present-day conflicts, serves as a modern update on the Pathé News reels so evocative of World War times, setting the tone for each song within the show’s themes of hope, faith, love and loss.

Almost two decades have passed since the Off Broadway premiere, and could anyone argue that the world has not worsened in that time? More war. More division in society and wealth. More mendacity in power. More moves to the right wing. More rules, CCTV and form-filling. Too much heat, and not only in the alarming change in climate.

The need for a “new world” – one of hope and love, faith in each other as much as in the One above, and loss of hubris and hunger alike – has never been greater.

Mikhail Lim: Co-director, co-stage designer, co-costume designer and vocalist

As Clare and Lim put it in their programme note: “Our reimagining of Songs For A New World addresses the ever-growing uncertainty and tension found within today’s political climate. The aim is to create a production that resonates deeply with an audience who are prepared to journey through the complexities of today’s societal landscape.”

Job done, courtesy of their emotionally charged direction; Freya McIntosh’s minimalist but moving choreography; the aforementioned designs; the impact of being in a church building, a place, a cradle, of grace, contemplation and the power of silence…

…Then add the palate of colours in Lim and McIntosh’s modern yet timeless costumes, each in two tones, for contrasts, connection and continuity, with an eye for composition reminiscent of a painting.

Katie Brier: Soloist for Just One Step and Surabaya-Santa

Each costume change, conducted en masse, adds to the visual pleasure, while the movement of wooden boxes throughout the performance is conducted with the significance of a chess move.

Crucially too, Clare and Lim have doubled the cast size to eight, making for more singing partnerships in a multi-ethnic, multi-faceted company, where both individual and ensemble can shine, framed so poetically by McIntosh’s measured choreography.  

Responding to Clare’s keyboard-led nine piece band, Ayana Beatrice Poblete, Katie Brier, Reggie Challenger, Lauren Charlton-Mathews, Rachel Higgs, Mikhail Lim, Adam Price and Natalie Walker sing righteously, romantically, roundly well.

Ayana Beatrice Poblete and Reggie Challenger

What of Brown’s songs? More melodic, less Sondheim than The Last Five Years, they hit both heart and soul, with The River Won’t Flow, Charlton-Mathews’ Stars And The Moon, Act I finale The Steam Train, Lim’s King Of The World, Challenger and Price’s Flying Home and the Higgs-fronted Final Transition: The New World all sung particularly passionately and persuasively.

Roll on this new world, and yes, let’s make a song and dance about it, like Jason Robert Brown and Black Sheep Theatre Productions have.

Black Sheep Theatre Productions, Songs For A New World, National Centre for Early Music, St Margaret’s Church, Walmgate, York, today at 2.30pm and 7.30pm. Box office: ticketsource.co.uk.

Black Sheep Theatre Productions’ artwork for Songs For A New World

Creative team:
Co-director, musical director & producer: Matthew Peter Clare

Co-director: Mikhail Lim
Assistant director & choreographer: Freya McIntosh

Cast:
Ayana Beatrice Poblete; Katie Brier; Lauren Charlton-Mathews; Reggie Challenger;
Rachel Higgs; Mikhail Lim; Adam Price and Natalie Walker.

Band:

Matthew Peter Clare, musical director and keys; Ben Huntley, guitar; Zander Lee, bass; Helen Warry and Elle Weaver, violin; Gregory Bush, viola; Mari MacGregor, violincello; Jude Austin, drums, and Jez Smith, auxiliary percussion.

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REVIEW: Charles Hutchinson’s verdict on York Stage’s Little Shop Of Horrors ****

Audrey 2 x 2: The plant and the plant in human form in Emily Ramsden in Nik Briggs’s inspired innovation in Little Shop Of Horrors. All pictures: Charlie Kirkpatrick, Kirkpatrick Photography

York Stage in Little Shop Of Horrors, planted at York Theatre Royal until Saturday, 7.30pm nightly plus 2.30pm Saturday matinee. Box office: 01904 623568 or yorktheatreroyal.co.uk

THIS is a 40th anniversary production with plenty of firsts and one unquenchable thirst.

York Stage are making their Theatre Royal main-house debut after shows all over town; Filipino-born and trained, York further-educated actor and chef Mikhail Lim is cutting the mustard in a premier-league lead role; Lauren Sheriston is rocking blue hair for the first time as Audrey and…

…Audrey 2, the ever-expanding plant with the insatiable need to “feed me” with rather more than BabyBio, has undergone a sex change from bass-baritone bully to seductive soul diva and sprouted not only profuse foliage but an accompanying female embodiment in the form of Emily Ramsden: a sort of Christina Aguilera think bubble come alive. Or an Audrey 2 x 2, if you prefer.

This way, the jive-talking, blood-sucking, man-munching plant takes on even more of a personality, albeit less sinister than usual.

Mikhail Lim’s Seymour, left, and James Robert Ball’s Mr Mushnik in Mr Mushnik’s Skid Row florist shop

Not even initial sound-level problems could knock Ramsden off her stride. Quick thinking by musical director Stephen Hackshaw saw his band drop their volume, while a hand mic was found for Ramsden to see her through to the end of her opening number. After that, everything went tickety-boo as York Stage settled into new surroundings under the ever-watchful eye of director-producer Nik Briggs.

Little Shop Of Horrors is a grisly, if tongue in cheek, cautionary tale of the dangers of rampant commercialism and unsavoury greed, where the laughs are rooted in feet of clay and the protagonists die, laughing.

The director’s challenge is twofold, first to find the gory heart of Howard Ashman and Alan Menken’s rock’n’roll send-up of Roger Corman’s B-movie horror flick and Fifties’ American culture but to make us laugh like a hyena on the highway to hell while doing so.

Secondly, to not let the underlying moral message about the fallacy of the American dream – the profits of doom – stand in the way of a bluesy belter, a tender ballad, a dollop of girl-group doo-wop or a blast of rock’n’roll swagger.

Lauren Sheriston’s Audrey, left, and Lucy Churchill’s Chiffon in York Stage’s Little Shop Of Horrors

Briggs’s propulsive production could be darker, more twisted in the manner of The Rocky Horror Show, but the laughs flow and the principals’ singing throughout is powerful, impassioned and sassy.

Little Shop Of Horrors is set in the trash can of the aspirant American Fifties, otherwise known as Skid Row, New York, as denoted by two big bins in Brigg’s otherwise colourful set and costume design.

Initially, Mr Mushnik’s struggling little flower shop feels a little crammed with unnecessary “stuff” on the Theatre Royal stage: twice Lim’s shop junior, Seymour Krelbourne, unintentionally bumps into a waste-bin by the counter, although his character is clumsy by nature – and as the plant and its notoriety threaten to outgrow the premises, it is only right that everything becomes a tighter squeeze.

Those bumps are the only false steps in an otherwise delightfully personable, pathos-led performance by Lim as the bespectacled, geeky loser Seymour, who grows from being comically, loveably awkward and love-struck to surprisingly ruthless and reckless as fame and fortune come his way once he signs his Faustian pact with Audrey 2. He has a sweet-sweet singing voice too that channels Sam Cooke’s tone.

Danger to dental health: Darren Lee Lumby’s mad dentist Orin finding life a gas, gas, gas

Sheriston’s Audrey, the subject of Seymour’s crush, is being crushed by her abusive dentist boyfriend, Darren Lee Lumby’s corkscrew-haired, cocksure Orin, who threatens mental and dental health alike in his deranged bad-lad turn.

Sheriston has to pull off a now uncomfortable Fifties’ trait of being too good for her own good, to the point of self-sacrifice. Audrey is compliant yet resolute, and Sheriston’s performance, especially in her singing, conveys both those traits. Briggs gives her a spot-on wardrobe too, notably a green dress to rival Audrey 2’s leafage.

The thrill-seeking doo-wop chorus girls (Hannah Shaw’s Crystal, Lucy Churchill’s Chiffon and Cyanne Unamba-Oparah’s Ronnette) serve as Greek chorus and girl-group nostalgia alike with hen-party glee. By way of contrast, James Robert Ball’s phlegmatic Mr Mushnik is amusingly lugubrious, wearier than a latter-day Woody Allen.

Praise too to Hackshaw’s band, embellished with wood and brass; to Adam Moore for lighting that nods to Little Shop’s red and green livery, and to plant puppeteers Jack Hooper, Katie Melia and Danny Western, relishing their well-deserved applause when leaping out at the finale.

York Stage will return to the Grand Opera House for Kinky Boots from September 16 to 24, but looking ahead, maybe an ideal scenario is for Nik Briggs’s ever-busy calendar to accommodate shows at the Theatre Royal, Opera House and 41 Monkgate each year.

Hannah Shaw’s Crystal: Part of the Greek chorus in A Little Shop Of Horrors
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Plant hire! Horror show for Mikhail Lim as he lands York Stage lead role in Little Shop

Suddenly, Seymour: Mikhail Lim takes on the lead role in York Stage’s Little Shop Of Horrors

MIKHAIL Lim may have a long association with the York stage but he did not envisage being picked to play Seymour, the hapless Skid Row florist shop assistant, in York Stage’s 40th anniversary production of Little Shop Of Horrors.

“Seymour is not typically something I would think of being cast as,” he says, in the foyer of York Theatre Royal, where you will indeed be seeing more of his Seymour from July 14 to 23 in director-producer Nik Briggs’ show.

“A lot of the issues with my confidence comes from being an Asian actor, pitching against established white actors – and everyone thinks of Rick Moranis’s performance in the film, which people are so attracted to.

“But, coming to my take on Seymour, Nik saw something in it, and so did Stephen Hackshaw, the musical director.”

Hence Mikhail will be leading Briggs’s cast of 11 in York Stage’s Theatre Royal debut in Howard Ashman and Alan Menken’s B-movie musical spoof about a bloodthirsty plant.

He cut his York theatrical teeth in John Cooper’s Stagecoach Youth Theatre,  the Grand Opera House’s Stage Experience summer school and York Stage Musicals before studying drama at York St John, but his love of performing is rooted in his Filipino homeland in South East Asia.

“I went to train in the Repertory Philippines in Manila, where they put on theatre even though there’s no official arts programme in the Philippines,” he says. “Seeing all the things that’s going on with the arts over here now with funding cuts and school curriculum changes, it’s starting to feel like that again. Though I love the Philippines, but there’s a struggle for the arts there, I’m not going to lie.”

Mikhail was born to his mother’s second marriage with a nine-year gap to his sister and two older brothers (whose father had passed away). “My parents worked really hard for me to get here,” he says.

Plant shop trio: Mikhail Lim’s Seymour with Lauren Sheriston’s Audrey, left, and Emily Ramsden’s Audrey II in Little Shop Of Horrors

“It started with me going to the OB [Operation Brotherhood] Montesorri School in Manila, and then they put me in a private school, the Ateneo de Manila University grade school, where they were really prioritising my education at one of the Philippines’ best schools over feeding the family.

“You can imagine that going into the theatre might not have been their number one career choice for me! It was an all-boys school, with a sister school that we’d meet up with to do shows.

“So, I did Fiddler On The Roof in a Catholic school with lots of Filipinos who knew nothing about Judaism! The only thing I had going for me was that I had a Russian name! My mother named me after Mikhail Gorbachev, who she thought of as a hero.

“I was born in October 1991 in the year after the Cold War stopped and I had a birthmark on my forehead, just like Gorbachev! As a kid, I knew nothing about him, but later I read about him and thought, ‘OK, I’ll take it’!”

Mikhail’s mother wanted a change, a new opportunity for Mikhail, and so he moved to York with his parents at the age of 14. “My siblings were much older than me; they had their own lives by then and they wanted to stay in the Philippines, so it was just me and my mum and dad who came over,” he says. “Mum was a scientist with the Nestle Product Technology Centre and that’s why we came to York.”

Settling into Haxby was not easy. “Not at all,” he recalls. “English is my first language, but even speaking the same language meant nothing culturally, and you can imagine how it was back then, when York was not as welcoming as it is now. It was very jarring, like people assuming I didn’t know what snow was.

“I lasted a very short time at Joseph Rowntree School, then went to All Saints, and on to York College to do my A-levels. Not my first intended route, but I studied English Literature, Ancient History, Maths and Theatre, so at least Theatre was in there.

Moving on: Chef Mikhail Lim, centre, will be leaving Oshibi Korean Bistro, in Franklin’s Yard, on Saturday after four years in the kitchen. “It’s been a good run,” he says

“There was always this superiority complex in people who assumed you came from somewhere impoverished by comparison with York, though I was top of the class in Maths, but you just can’t prove anything on paper.”

All the while, his acting and singing talent was nurtured with Stagecoach, Stage Experience and York Stage. “In most places, I definitely feel like theatre is more of a home,” he says. “That said, I’ve always gaslit myself think I was the weird, out-of-place kid, because I was, but then I realised it wasn’t just me who had this problem. Teenagers are vicious.

“But I’ve come to love York and living here. I think you notice it more when you go to other cities and you realise just how beautiful York is and how respectful people are to each other – though I’m aware acting can require you to move around, maybe train in London.”

After completing his York St John theatre studies in 2014, Mikhail trained as a chef, specialising in desserts, latterly working at Oshibi Korean Bistro & BBQ, in Franklin’s Yard, Fossgate, after the unfortunate timing of opening his own specialist café in Franklin’s Yard a month before the first Covid lockdown.

“In a way, lockdown was a blessing, allowing me to think about what I really wanted to do, because I’d been working continually, When Nik [Briggs] messaged me to ask me to do Songs From The Settee online, that opened up things again for me to do theatre again.”

Cue his stage return in Little Shop Of Horrors. “I’m now hoping to save up to do an MA in musical theatre,” he says. “I’ve stopped and started and trained so much already, but getting that piece of paper, an MA, is how to get connections in the theatre world.”

York Stage in Little Shop Of Horrors, York Theatre Royal, 7.30pm, July 14, 16, 18 to 23; 4pm and 8pm, July 15; 2.30pm, July 16 and 23. Box office: 01904 623568 or yorktheatreroyal.co.uk.

Copyright of The Press, York